I took the one less travelled by…

2011 Goal # 10: Edit

My friends have been trying to convince me to “downsize” my lifestyle for some time. I think it started on the blustery day last March when 10 of my closest friends and relatives came to help me move. I had thought that I’d done a good job of packing, but when they arrived on the day of the move there was still a whole lot of random stuff just floating around.

The problem with stuff just floating around is that it starts to weigh on you. Random stuff never gets a proper home, so it just gets moved from one place to another, to another, until finally, you pack it up and move it to a new apartment where you shift it around endlessly in a new place. Enough is enough.

My purging started in December. At the time I threw away 3 boxes of random stuff, old computer cables, random disks, dried up markers, potting liquid that was starting to eat through the bottle and about 40 flower pots.

Still, I knew I had a lot more to do. One of the best motivators is knowing that you have people coming over. So right before the Scrabble party I took advantage of the opportunity to get rid of a large number of stupid things that were taking up space in my home, like this large stack of boxes. Who has space to keep a pile of boxes anyhow?

I found several pairs of worn out pants. They are now gone. In the garbage bag is some expired food, and some terrible Easter chocolates from last year.

I used to have a huge bag of nail polish, which is really dumb, because I don’t ever paint my nails. Anyhow, it’s all gone now, all except 4 really neutral colours that I can use on my toenails this summer.

I was the coolest girl at the University of Ottawa, when I came back from Christmas break with this amazing tool. It’s a kettle that you can use to make soup or Kraft dinner; it’s a great way to get around the no-hot-plate rule my residence had. Still I haven’t used it in…well…at least 11 years. So I donated it, and now it can make someone else cool.

I donated or threw out many shoes, bags and “art.” I tried really hard to disassociate my feelings from my stuff. The purse out in front is the purse I carried when I was Penelope’s maid of honour. I loved it at the time, but I don’t find it useful, so, since I have other mementos of Penelope’s wedding, and I don’t think keeping it makes me a better friend, I donated it.

I used to love this skirt. I wore it everywhere, and I held onto it because I had planned to wear it again when I lost weight. But that’s just bad karma, so I gave it away.

At the end of the day, I eliminated more flower pots than I can count, a grocery bag full of broken picture frames, and 2-4 bags of VHS tapes and DVDs (though I still have more to go, I can’t understand why I’m still holding on to any of them). I also managed to donate 3 bags of books, and some random dishes.

I also threw out all of my remaining wedding stuff: the shells that I had collected for name plates and the magazines. I’m looking for a place to donate my shoes, handbag and a how-to guide, so if anyone knows of a good wedding or prom-based charity that takes stuff like that I’d love to hear from you.

The only thing I kept was my hat. Like Valancy I haven’t given up the shameful hope that I will have a great social event where I can wear it, and besides, it’s not very bridal.

The result is that I feel like I can breathe in my home now. I also feel like I can find and see the things I really value. By the way, that big yellow and blue tea cup and saucer on the bottom shelf has since been donated.

I’ve been feeling lately that my apartment has no charactert — that it feels kind of cookie cutterish — and I was starting to think about moving. But now, I’ve managed to turn some of my belongings into art, and I feel more at home. All in all, I feel really good, like I’ve lost 50 Lbs. of garbage.

Also, during my cleaning binge I found the book below, which might help me tackle goal number 9. Balance the books.